Bahrain international Hotel, one of Bahrain's oldest three-star hotels, is set to reopen soon after a multi-million dollar facelift, said a top official.

Located in the heart of Manama Suq, the hotel will start receiving guests as a four-star facility after a $2.5 million renovation from the earlier three-star premises, group general manager Javed Ahmed Nooruddin was quoted as saying by the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

'The property has been redeveloped from the beginning of last year,' he said.

'We decided to upgrade the hotel into a four-star facility after new rules were introduced and that gave us an opportunity for the comprehensive facelift.'

He said since a four-star hotel has certain requirements, they planned the extensive renovation that involved re-building the interiors from scratch, adding the necessary infrastructure and going beyond the required criteria.

Nooruddin said the hotel would now have more than 110 rooms of 35 to 55 sq m, as opposed to an 80-room requirement.

'The new lobby will be 650 sq m even though the requirement for a four-star hotel is 400 sq m.'

He said the new lobby facelift is a fusion of contemporary design and modern looks.

'Among other enhancements are a new banquet hall, which can accommodate 300 guests and a 100sqm swimming pool.

'A new health club, gymnasium and spa are also part of the enhanced facilities.

'The main hotel entrance on Government Avenue and the signage has also undergone a transformation.'

Nooruddin said new multi-cuisine restaurants, a lobby coffee shop and a lounge are part of the expansion plans.

He said even though the hotel business had been going through turbulent times in the past year, none of the staff had been retrenched.

'We distributed the existing staff, including Bahrainis, to our other properties and they continued to be paid full wages and remuneration.

'After the renovation, we plan to have at least 40 per cent of the positions reserved for Bahrainis and will also train them in-house,' he said.

Saudi Arabia-based company GMCO (Al Thuraya International) and Bahraini firm Lammim Trading and Contracting have designed the new facilities and carried out the renovation, under the guidance of Shaikh Hamad bin Mohamed Al Khalifa. – TradeArabia News Service